Not every autumn fright adventure must scare you. From well-known tales such as Scooby-Doo to delightful stories such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed favorites are enjoyable without increasing anxiety. Additionally, a increasing selection of spooky-cute titles with autumn atmosphere, yet without the truly terrifying intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and stands as an superb cozy choice to the truly terrifying releases of this year.
A Distinctive Self-Coop Quest
Known as a “self-coop” problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes unites a zombie boy known as Gloomy and a living girl named Nena as they embark on an quest to bring the sun back to their shadowy realm. Their design evokes Funko Pops combined with the puppets from a Laika film. The fair-toned and tired-looking aesthetic borrows heavily from the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a archetypal all-ages tale. The duo forms an strong connection over the duration of the game’s numerous levels as Nena tries to demonstrate to her clerical relative that, hey, possibly living-impaired beings aren’t half bad.
Creative Gameplay Systems
This unique description comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. After Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap between the newfound friends to overcome obstacles and progress through the areas. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a light source, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures without a lamp is focused on them.
It's necessary for them to work in tandem — actually, players control them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or momentarily deactivate lights to create passages for Gloomy, while the open-brained character will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around objects in the environment, revealing paths for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The puzzles remind me a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the stages are floating, diorama-like constructions that the camera rotates in coordination with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, leading the friends around a amusement park and through a ghostly building, among other places. There’s a “diorama view” button that permits you to pull back and turn the stages, both to appreciate the artwork and look for ways that may not have been apparent.
Slight Hiccups and Overall Experience
This represents one of the only difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Like other releases with a static view, sometimes it's unclear where the protagonists are able to move. Gamers could require to just bump into a few random elements to discover which ones are usable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nonetheless, those slight obstacles don’t get in the way of a spooky-cute enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly three to five hours worth of challenges. Later levels blend together minor sneaking and dynamic sequences with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and somewhat unexpected — finale.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Players shying away from the terror of terrifying releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, Sony system, PC, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for 25% off on game marketplaces.
This charming title is out now on several consoles and delivers a pleasurable choice for gamers looking for Halloween fun without the terrifying moments.
